Huntingdonshire

Huntingdonshire's population grew in the decade to 2011. At the same time there were changes in average age, religion and housing tenure.

The population reached nearly 170,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Huntingdonshire increased by 8.0%, from almost 157,000 to 170,000.

The addition of just under 13,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Huntingdonshire was home to, on average, 1.3 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was similar to the average across Eastof England

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Eastof England, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Huntingdonshire

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Huntingdonshire increased by four years, from 37 to 41 years.

This rural area had a slightly higher average age than Eastof England and became slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 6,900 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 4,000.

About 12% of people in Huntingdonshire are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Huntingdonshire by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Huntingdonshire residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 6.3% to 3.9% between the last two censuses.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (84%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 73% in 2001. The percentage of Huntingdonshire residents that described their health as fair decreased from 20% to 12%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad increased faster here than in any other local authority district across Eastof England. The improvement brought health in Huntingdonshire close to the national average 5.5% in England described their health as good in 2011).

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Huntingdonshire decreased by 2.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Huntingdonshire, Eastof England and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

Huntingdonshire saw Eastof England's second-largest fall in the proportion of households with children.

In 2011, just over 3 in 10 (30%) households in Huntingdonshire had at least one dependent child, compared with 32% in 2001. The percentage with no children increased from 59% to 61%.

Across the region, only Maldon saw a greater fall in the proportion of households with children (from 30% to 28%).

The proportion of households with children was higher than across Eastof England

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Huntingdonshire

The number of people in Huntingdonshire that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 26,000 in 2001 to about 50,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 17% to 30% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across Eastof England (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Huntingdonshire that described themselves as Christian decreased from just under 120,000 in 2001 to just over 100,000 in 2011 (from 74% to 61%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation remained close to 12,000 (7.2%)

Just under 1,900 people (0.6%) said they were Muslim, up from about 980 in 2001 (1.1%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Huntingdonshire increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Huntingdonshire by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Huntingdonshire

The percentage of Huntingdonshire residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 6.4% to 6.6% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 30 (3.2%) reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, compared with 2.4% in 2001. The percentage of Huntingdonshire residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 91% to 90%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Eastof England (from 6.9% in 2001 to 6.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across Eastof England

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

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Area report data

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